Stars and Stripes
This article describes the Battlezone storyline mission-by-mission. Intro Cinematic Grizzly One is managing an NSDF facility when he is informed that the Radar Array has detected unidentified craft approaching from the north. Ordering a newly-constructed Razor to act as his wingman, he heads to investigate. As Grizzly One arrives at a crater he is informed that a large force is approaching from the east. His wingman informs him that the target has dropped of radar, so he deploys a Thumper. The seismic weapon reveals a CCA Czar concealed in a crater, but once it is destroyed by Grizzly One's mortar a far larger Soviet force begins approach. Grizzly One is immediately recalled to help defend the base. The Soviet forces storm the base from the western entrance, quickly taking out its defences and power facilities. Moments later Grizzly One is forced to eject by a wing of Flankers, before being blown from the sky by their missiles. Trivia * The compass points given in the cinematic audio do not match those on Bates' radar. * The CCA Flankers that kill Grizzly One are clearly seen firing two missiles each, but the Flanker has no missile hardpoints. Combat Exercises (Optional) Combat Driving Commander Jason Bates is welcomed to Luna and given a test drive to acquaint himself with the Razor scout-tank. After completing a short winding course he is instructed to drive over the edge of a biometal quarry, using his jump-thrusters to cushion the landing and leave the crater by ledges along the walls. He is then instructed to continue to the target range, where two training turrets await him. Defensive Command The second training mission introduces Bates to the command interface by having him pass instructions to a T7 Badger turret. Once it reaches the target range, a target drone approaches for it to destroy. Trivia * The target drone is actually an NSDF Hauler. * Another Hauler sits to the south-east of the target range, but it has no part in the mission. * This mission is incorrectly titled "Defensive Combat" in Battlezone: Rise of the Black Dogs. Bio-metal Scavenging Bates' third training mission introduces him to the Recycler and Scavenger. He is instructed to redeploy the Recycler he is given, and then uses it to construct a scavenger, which a Flanker drone is sent to attack. Trivia * Despite being a drone, the Flanker will still sometimes eject a pilot. Attack and Destroy The fourth training mission demonstrates the construction and use of offensive units, illustrating safety in numbers when attacking enemy installations. Bates is given a Recycler and instructed to build a Razor, which he then uses to destroy two training turrets. Following the completion of this mission, Bates is given a command post at Luna Outpost 3; NSDF Command is concerned about heavy rocket activity nearby. The Playground The fifth training mission gives Bates command over a full NSDF base, which sits less than 700 metres from an inactive and unmanned CCA facility. No instructions are given during this mission, and it has no objective other than familiarisation with NSDF technology. Trivia *Both bases use all three types of power plant, though only solar power is effective on the moon. *The NSDF base contains a single Shield Generator, though these cannot be constructed and are only usable in pairs. Stars and Stripes Red Arrival Staring at the Lunar Lander at Outpost 3, Bates reminisces about the origins of the war he is fighting; having run out of biometal on Earth, the NSDF used the Apollo Landings as a cover-up to launch its army to the moon. He is soon instructed to escort a Scavenger to a nearby scrap field, where unusual radar signatures have been detected. These signatures soon turn out to be CCA Flankers, which he fights off. As his scavenger returns to base he is informed that there is another, already in the field and being harassed by the Soviets. Once this scavenger is returned to the outpost, it is discovered that the CCA forces are already making their way towards Eagle's Nest One, the NSDF's main base on Luna. Bates is recalled there immediately to take command of the defence. Trivia * The RAVE Gun features as an easter-egg in this mission. * The tank that appears during the intro promptly disappears at the start of the mission, and the player's pilot is already visible. Eagle's Nest 1 With no time even to bury the dead, the NSDF are immediately on the defensive. Eagle's Nest One's defences were completely destroyed and Bates, with the training recycler Montana under his control, is required to protect the base's Command Tower and Solar Arrays. Eventually, a small amount of reinforcements arrive from Outpost Two, but a massive Soviet strike force soon arrives to the north-west and General Collins soon orders Eagle's Nest One's evacuation. The base's key personnel load into two transports and Bates takes point in escorting them to a nearby Launch Pad. The CCA destroy Eagle's Nest One moments after the evacuation completes; the NSDF relocate to Mars, declaring war on the Soviets. Trivia * In contrast to most missions, the loss of the Montana here does not necessarily lead to a failure. The Relic Discovered The NSDF arrive on Mars to discover the CCA already have a strong presence on the planet. Though they had initially attempted to remain undetected, Bates is forced to fight off a number of CCA assaults before he is informed that a Soviet force is gathering to the south-west. The squadron is discovered to have has found a strange artefact, which General Collins immediately orders Bates to recover. Once Grizzly One has captured the relic, the CCA make numerous attempts to recover it. Eventually, feeling their losses, they pull back and the NSDF lands its full force on Mars. Given the chance to investigate the object, NSDF engineers conclude that it could allow them to manipulate biometal into new forms, but are unable to make significant headway into breaking its encryption. They do, however, discover that there are another set of Cthonian ruins near a volcano. An Unexpected Connection Skyeye has found a volcano that matches the one referenced in the artefact, but scouts investigating it have come across active alien minefields. Landing on the surface to investigate further, Bates avoids these minefields and heads for the volcano. Once there, he discovers it contains a large facility named Lemnos. Commander Eldridge informs Bates that the Sixth Platoon are ten minutes out, and Bates proceeds to defend the factory against CCA forces until they arrive. Unfortunately, the NSDF engineers discover the factory has been largely destroyed, but they do discover records detailing the Hephestus transport and Omega Star Port, which the NSDF begin searching for. Escape from Mars The Fifth Platoon, exploring the Olympus Mons ruins under the command of Commander Simmonds, made contact with a large CCA force and lost their recycler, the Minnesota. On the way to assist with the Wyoming, Bates receives an order to investigate a nearby anomaly from Lieutenant Corbett. The object, much to Collins' surprise, turns out to be the Hephestus transport. From the logs stored within, the location of the Omega Star Port is discovered, but the flight log database the NSDF had been expecting to find there had already disappeared. Anticipating an assault, Collins orders Bates to set up a defensive position. Sure enough, Corporal Buzz detects an incoming CCA patrol - just a Simmonds reports that the CCA force he was facing have pulled back to their base. Moments later, a transport lifts off, presumably with the flight log on board; Bates is instructed to determine the transport's location before the CCA can further fortify their position. Once Grizzly One has infiltrated the CCA base, he discovers from the Launch Pad that the transport is headed for Venus; Collins orders him to pack up the Wyoming in order to intercept. Moments later, Simmonds reports that they have successfully disengaged and are not being pursued; the CCA platoon is headed for Bates' position. Behind Enemy Lines Having located the base the CCA are likely to have taken the database to, Bates is ordered to lead a small and covert strike to destroy the Radar Arrays in preparation for a larger assault. Before doing so he is ordered to rendezvous with Eldridge, who has already reconnoitred the area. Bates and Eldridge head for the CCA outpost, ensuring along the way that none of the forces they encounter escape to report their whereabouts. When they get there, however, they find the entrance heavily fortified. Razor One, one of Eldridge's scouts, reports he has found a vantage point that could be used to eject into the CCA encampment. Once inside, Bates is able to commandeer a CCA vehicle and use it to destroy the base's radar array. Bates is then ordered to rendezvous with the Utah in order to finish off the nearby Recycler before the assault can begin proper. Trivia * Eldridge is mistakenly referred to as a lieutenant in both voice-overs and objective dialog, but identifies himself correctly as a commander. A Nasty Surprise Having landed four platoons on Venus, the NSDF prepare to attack the CCA base where the database is being held in a pincer movement; Bates is to attack from the north, while Eldridge, with the Colorado, attacks from the west. The NSDF forces only encounter moderate resistance and, initially, aren't sure they have even been located, but the Colorado is suddenly destroyed by unidentified forces. Bates' forces soon begin detecting similar signatures on all sides, and in investigating their source comes across a set of alien relics that are eventually discovered to be the remains of Styx and its Cerberus defenders, which Collins presumes the CCA walkers were derived from. The forces of the Justice soon destroy the CCA's main base on Venus, but a convoy is picked up escaping the assault, presumably carrying the database. Bates is reassigned to tracking them down before they can escape the planet with the rest of the CCA forces. Wrangling the Fleeing Herd Now realising the full power of the Cthonian technology documented in the relics, the NSDF attempt to track down the fleeing convoy before it can escape Venus. Bates rendezvouses with a Factory tooled to build walkers derived from the Cerberus units, but discovers a CCA artillery emplacement on top of a nearby cliff. Bates is instructed to use a nearby incline to jump towards the artillery pieces, and discovers another relic nearby. Once a Nav Beacon has been placed there, Bates proceeds to reach and destroy the CCA artillery. Setting up his forces at a choke point to ambush the CCA convoy, Bates is informed by General Collins that a CCA Recycler must have been amongst the escaped forces and that destroying it is now a priority. Commander Prescott soon reports that he has flushed the CCA convoy out and it is heading to the Launch Pad as expected. Once it arrives, Bates' forces destroy the convoy and capture the flight log database. NSDF scientists use the newly-captured relic discover that the ruins on Venus were constructed under the orders of a scientist named Nexus V, who developed a new strain of biometal using Human DNA. Also amongst the data is a vast wealth of information about the Cthonians, including details of a Hadean Crown weapons facility on Io. Trivia *This mission is incompatible with Battlezone: Battlegrounds, as one of the misisons renders the factory unable to build tugs. The Race is On Arriving on Io at the same time as the Soviets, Bates' forces set out to capture a relic located at the Lerna facility while Commanders Yevin and Miller do the same to the south. Once Bates captured the relic, the NSDF move to take it back to Mars with the rest, but unfortunately the CCA intervene and are able to cut the transports off from the launch pad. Bring it Home With additional forces from the Eighth Platoon under his command, Bates helps escort the transports carrying the three relics to the NSDF Launch Pad on Io. One of the three transports, driven by Wilhelm Arkin soon breaks off and heads for enemy territory, delivering one of the relics straight into the CCA's hands. Meanwhile, a CCA force reaches the launchpad ahead of the transports and manages to destroy it before Bates can stop them, forcing the transports to wait while Corbett establishes another to the south. Flying Solo In attempting to track down Arkin and the missing relic, the NSDF split their fleet up to comb the rest of the Jovian moons; The Liberty travels to Callisto, the Freedom takes Ganymede, and the Justice moves for Europa. Having pinpointed the CCA's nearest base as on Europa, the NSDF send bates to infiltrate the facility and break into their transmission network, hoping to gather data on their ship movements and thus the location of the missing relic. Using a stolen CCA Flanker, Bates begins to mimic the previous pilot's assigned patrol route. Using a pair of CCA Checkpoint Towers to reveal the enemy nav points, he manages to duplicate the patrol route between a turret repair facility, Factory and Silo bank. After running the patrol route correctly, Bates enters the vicinity of the Soviet Communications Tower and begins a scan of the transmission. Once the data has been completely downloaded by the Data Tap he is carrying, Grizzly One is forced to flee back to his landing site, with a large CCA force behind him. The NSDF are able to use the data Bates captures to mark the movements of the entire CCA fleet, which is headed towards the main Soviet base on Titan. The Justice and Freedom both move to begin a full scale invasion to recover the lost relic, but Bates remains on Europa with the Justice. Trivia * The mission debriefing incorrectly states that Bates remains on Titan with the Liberty, but Bates is a serves on the Justice. Total Destruction Bates' new orders are to lead the Texas and the forces of the Justice in a clean-up operation, removing all elements of Soviet resistance on Europa, cutting off any lines of supply or escape in doing so. Unfortunately, while Bates eradicates the CCA presence on Europa the Soviets have the upper hand on Titan. The Liberty and Freedom are both presumed lost, their ground forces are in disarray and communication is cut. Trivia * The audio in this mission incorrectly says the Justice leaves for Titan and the Liberty stays behind, but according to the debriefing it is the Liberty that is destroyed over Titan. The Three Beacons With no communication with Titan other than three distress beacons, Bates is dropped onto the surface with the Utah to investigate and rescue any survivors. Bates' forces quickly detect a group of survivors to the west of their landing position, and once they have been rescued they reveal the forces of the Liberty and Freedom were destroyed by none other than the Furies, built by the CCA using the stolen relic. It isn't long before Bates' forces come under attack from the CCA-built Furies, though they believe them to be still under the CCA's control. When they receive a mayday from the Soviets requesting a ceasefire they are confused, but Collins soon informs Bates that the CCA are not under attack from NSDF forces, and warns him to stay back until the situation can be assessed. When Collins next makes contact, it is to inform Bates that the CCA have formally surrendered, and NSDF command have issued the order to evacuate their base as well. Interrogation of the scientists rescued reveals that the CCA were indeed unable to control the Furies they had built, and that the craft are able to control themselves. NSDF mythologists, meanwhile, discover that the Furies led to the destruction of the Cthonians. Category:Storyline United We Fight - United We Die Now working in co-operation with CCA forces, the NSDF begin to put together a plan to regain control of or defeat the Furies. Placed under the command of the Utah and the 11th Workers' Tank Batallion, Bates is ordered to gather 75 units of scrap to help the effort against the new foe. Eventually, Bates is ordered to rendezvous with survivors from the crew of the Massachusets to the north-west. Once the additional forces have been recovered, the scrap-gathering operation resumes until 75 units have been recovered. Once that is done, Collins orders the Furies obliterated and recalls the NSDF and CCA forces to prepare for a full-scale assault. Trivia * Near the north-eastern geysers sits a large biometal structure marked as Tartarus. It has no bearing on the mission, but the NSDF and CCA forces agree to stay well away from it. * Whilst most debriefings contain minor differences between the game and the Strategy Guide, those given for this mission are completely different in each source. Strike at the Heart Thanks to Dr. Braddock, the NSDF and CCA forces under General Karnov have discovered the greatest weakness of the Furies; they set aside all thought of tactics and strategy in order to chase down enemy forces. Using this, the now fully co-operating NSDF and CCA forces deploy on Titan to destroy a CCA base re-purposed into a Fury manufacturing facility. While the assault is in progress, regular reinforcements arrive from the CCA. Unfortunately, once the base is destroyed it is found that a number of Furies escaped Titan and have set up on a previously undiscovered moon of Uranus named Achilles. Tapping the Core The NSDF have discovered the main Fury base on Achilles is protected by a minefield which draws power from a number of geothermal generators spread across the planet's surface. Bates and his forces are sent in under orders to destroy the power supplies to disable the Fury minefield before assaulting the main base itself. Once the Geothermal Power Cells at the facility are destroyed, it overloads and explodes, and the remainder of the Fury forces head towards a transport in the north. Meanwhile, Achilles is struck by violent tremors caused by the destruction of the Fury facility. General Collins orders a full evacuation of the planet, leaving just the Texas and Bates' forces to deal with the Furies attempting to escape. The Ultimate Quake Bates is given two paths to reach the Fury transport from the Texas; one is shorter, but used by fleeing Furies, whilst the other is quieter, but longer. Upon reaching the transport, Bates is informed he must destroy the transport's four thrusters; the main body itself is impenetrable. Once it is destroyed, Grizzly One is left with three minutes to return to the Texas and evacuate Achilles. Category:Storyline The Red Brigade The Golem Ambush Mission 1 Precious Cargo Mission 2 The Evil Battalion Mission 3 Io's Bridge Mission 4 Controlling the High Ground Mission 5 Clear the Path Mission 6 Reclaim our Base Mission 7 Punishing the Black Dogs Mission 8 Outro Cinematic Achilles explodes violently, leaving little but meteors behind. The trajectory of one such meteor takes it past Saturn and Jupiter, through the Asteroid belt, and towards Earth. Bates finds himself wondering if history will repeat itself yet again, bringing about another war and destroying another planet, or even another race. Category:Storyline